How to Build the Ultimate Vehicle Survival Kit: With Checklist

Yes, You Need a Vehicle Survival Kit!

You jump in the car; fire the ignition, head down the road, and all is well. But then, the unexpected happens.

A small error, an unavoidable accident, a rapid change in weather, some black ice, vehicle malfunction, something causes everything to change in an instant. And BOOM! Your world is turned upside down.

Now you find yourself facing an emergency situation, or worse, a horrific disaster.

Unfortunately, that’s what happened to the Kim family on November 25th, 2007.

Disaster Strikes

Trying to avoid the snow the Kim family took a wrong turn onto an old backcountry-logging road. They ended up stuck and stranded. After six days, Mr. Kim set out on foot for help. Sadly, he never made it.

This story illustrates why everyone should prepare for the unexpected now!

Additionally, this highlights an important rule.

Always stay with your vehicle.

Staying with your vehicle increases the chance of rescue significantly.

Therefore, don’t try to walk for help unless the weather is temperate and you have the proper resources — food, water, clothing, and strength to do so.

Charles Dornford, a staff sergeant in United States Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, teaches cold weather survival to Department of Defense personnel at one of the most frigid places on Earth: Arctic Alaska.

Here’s his list of things to do when you get your vehicle stuck in the snow:

Immediately ensure that the exterior exhaust on the car is clear of snow, so you don’t get carbon monoxide buildup in the car.

Once you find yourself stuck in your car in a snowstorm, the best thing to do is stay put (unless you see a building nearby).

Then turn the vehicle off. Turn it on every once in a while to heat it up, and then turn it back off to conserve gas.

Continue to check the tailpipe each time you turn on the heater.

Some of the ways to keep warm in the car are doing various exercises. Just do a set of pushups or flutter kicks every once in a while.
SOURCE: weather.com

Okay, enough on the macabre reasons to build a kit.

On to the fun stuff

Please note. The ideology behind this kit is to prepare for every eventuality, including being stranded in a remote place for an extended period, an emergency evacuation or having to Bug out at a moment notice. Therefore, the list is more extensive than what you will need for most roadside “emergencies” — especially if you are in a densely populated area where help is likely to arrive quickly. I recommend two kits, a large backpack “Survival Kit” (so you can take it with you), and a large bag or plastic box “Vehicle Service Kit.”

ALWAYS CARRY ENOUGH WATER FOR 3 Days

Remember the rule of three. Most people can survive 3 minutes without air, three hours without shelter (in a harsh environment), three days without water, and three weeks without food.

According to FEMA guidelines, you should have at least 1/2 a gallon drinking water for each day.

That means it’s going to be difficult to carry enough water for more than a few days.

Select the Right Bag for Your Emergency Vehicle Kit

Many roadside emergency kits you can buy are nothing more than a flimsy little bag with a couple of items inside.
That’s not going to work well if you have to walk 250 miles home, as Morgan did in the survivalist series “Going Home“– a fun read by the way.

Bottom line. Use a sturdy backpack for your emergency kit. That way, you can take it and its contents with you, if need be.

By the way, there is a printable .pdf checklist for download at the bottom of this article. I also have, for your convenience, included links to most of these items on Amazon, and pictures for the products that I particularly like.

Survival Kit Items

Sanitation

Maintaining hygiene while in an emergency situation can protect your health and keep you a little bit more comfortable.

Toilet Paper or even better Dead Down Wind Wet Wipes. These heavy-duty large wet wipes are sturdy and bio-engineered (with a vegetable enzyme) to eliminate odor. They are the next best thing to taking a shower. They just work, and the are better priced than others. Highly recommended. Get some!

Feminine Pads and Tampons. In addition to providing comfort, these items have a number of survival uses. You can use these items, and their packaging, as a medical bandage, a water filter (not purifier), fire tinder, water straw, candle wick, cordage, blow-dart fletching, a blow tube for coal burning, fishing bobber and more.

Life Straw On a scorching day, some years ago, my truck broke down in the Idaho dessert. Like an idiot, I had taken my survival kit out the day before — to clean the vehicle — and forgot to put it back in before I went out and hit some trails. Long story short, I could have been in serious trouble. However, I was able to call for help — which arrived 9 hours later. I was able to find water nearby, but it had cow dung all around it. I would have gotten very sick if I drank that water.

More than anything else on this list, I wished I had put drinking water in the truck, and a Life Straw in the glove box, for when the drinking water ran out.

As a side note, it’s a good idea to have a fire starter and a life straw somewhere in your car as backup, just in case you somehow forget your survival pack one day.

Heavy Duty Trash Bags. For sanitary use as well as water collection (tie around a tree branch to collect condensation overnight), waterprooffing shoes, as thermal underwear, for ground cover, to build a solar still, and much more.

Duct tape. You can use duct tape to make a rope, patch clothing, make a bandage, make a spear, create a splint, tape a broken window, build a hammock, repair your vehicle, start a fire or tape your spouse’s mouth shut or tape an attacker to a tree. Okay, don’t do the last two.

Security

Cash, Coins. In the event of a grid-down situation, it is likely that ATM’s will not be working. Also, you may need coins/cash for tool-roads, vending machines, or to purchase something from someone who cannot accept a card.

Safety

Fire Extinguisher. This is an item that is often overlooked but is critical. Not only can it save lives, but it can also save your vehicle from being totaled by a fire. My baby, a 79 Ford Bronco once had a fire in the engine compartment — caused by too much transmission fluid being put in. The liquid overflowed from the fill spout. When it hit the hot engine block, it ignited. Thankfully, I had a fire extinguisher on board.

Vehicle Survival Kit Checklist

My grandfather Ken Cummins was a sniper in World War II (shot and wounded in Okinawa where almost every member of his company were killed ), an avid outdoors-man, gunsmith, and firearms instructor. It is from him that I inherited my love for firearms and the great outdoors. I am an entrepreneur, author, speaker, graphic designer, survivalist, and outdoors-man who is on a mission to bring you the best possible information on the lost survival (life) skills of those who have gone before. Please be sure to visit my news and analysis site: thecumminsreport.com

Jaybe that is an excellent idea. We will do that and post it here in a bit. By the way, if cost is a factor, just start with the most important items, water, fire starter, cell phone and charger, and then build from there.

So we ran the numbers. If you stick with cheaper options on the list and don’t count the Vortex Binoculars ($239) or the Leatherman ($99), you can do this for $200-$350 easily. We calculated almost $24 for garbage bags and zip lock bags for instance, and you only need a couple for your pack, not the whole box. Of course many of these items you probably already have around the house.

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